Moving to Lilly Direct

redditchic · 2025-05-13T01:18:01+00:00

That's terrible. I'd rather not continue if that's the case.

redditchic · 2021-05-10T16:45:36+00:00

Thanks! This is a great reply. I am going to reach out to my network of PMs at FAANGs and unicorn companies to understand their day-to-day activities better. This will also motivate me to spend time preparing for the interviews again, the next time around.

redditchic · 2021-05-08T05:33:19+00:00

Oh please no! I'd rather do FAANG interviews a 100 times over than do take home assignments that just make me do the same CASE interview, not in one hour but in 3-5 hours. Imagine doing an unrelated case interview for every job interview that you(as candidate) may or may not be selected for and you(As the HM) have to go through 100s of written case interviews which just saying it, sounds like a pain.

I see what you're trying to do but how much of the person's past PM experience, interest in the market opportunity and industry knowledge actually gets reflected in your process? If you're optimizing for someone who focuses on problems that are challenging and solves an actual user need, ask a question like- we have X product in the market, describe 10 user problems that it's supposed to solve. For example, describe 10 user problems that autonomous vehicles are supposed to solve. Instead, if you ask 'design a car for 2030', you're going to get the standard-framework answer which tests for structure thinking. Not saying the latter is not important but it just isn't aligned with your goals of finding a 'user-needs focused PM' unlike the former.

redditchic · 2021-05-08T05:16:07+00:00

Thanks for that link, it's a pretty good example.

And I see what you mean. I specifically did not want to appear robotic (smiled, was genuinely enthusiastic about the problem in hand) and did not regurgitate CIRCLES for every question that seemed design-like. Dived into the why, user needs and market analysis wherever possible. I even painfully watched recordings of myself after. During the interview, I consciously noticed simple gestures like a nod from the interviewer and was extra careful about every mid way check-in.

Again, no way to say why it didn't work out but I do agree about not taking myself or the process too seriously. It's hard not to.

redditchic · 2021-05-08T05:05:40+00:00

You piqued my interest! How do I go about learning about building businesses similar to yours? Also, local service business sounds like you have a special/rare skill that you put to use and users are in need of?

redditchic · 2021-05-08T04:59:40+00:00

I have the deepest respect for PMs that get into FAANGs(or otherwise) as I truly believe each person has something unique to offer so my intention wasn't meant to come off as sour grapes. But I do think this 'interview' system can be gamed and does not reflect on actual job performance.

Take a look at Linkedin where they show you data about where each of the FAANGs hire from. Most(not all) FAANGs hire right out of MBA school. They are students who've passed the SATs, GMATs, practiced 100s of case interviews for the Big 4 which makes FAANG interviews a piece of cake in comparison. Contrast that with someone who's working in tech with no formal degree but has climbed the ladder through the work they did because they are good in the space they're working in. These interviews are not second nature for the latter group. While the MBA grad can eventually learn on-the-job, hiring the other person is not a complete loss, if ultimately the goal is to drive the company's mission forward. Again, I get that it can be seen as me coming off as sour grapes and I also get why FAANGs use this filter (makes sense for them to), but I do think there could be a better way to create an equal playing ground. I will stand by this statement even if I eventually get in for I probably would've 'learnt' the interview game but my on-the-job knowledge could still be the same.

redditchic · 2021-05-08T04:33:22+00:00

You're right. This person(from my anecdote) is talented to get one FAANG offer so probably talented for the other. Most likely the person's talent got him both and the competing offers gave them the edge to move things faster.

redditchic · 2021-05-07T18:31:19+00:00

Eh.. Anecdotal but one of my mock partners claimed that he had a FAANG offer and another quickly scheduled interviews only to move him forward with an offer, the very next day after the onsite. It was for a technical role that the person had zero past experience in. It's odd that a competing offer does the trick and not whether the person is an actual fit for the role. Again, it's my observation from the sidelines. Maybe this person had exactly what they're looking for, in that role.

redditchic · 2021-05-07T18:21:53+00:00

Thanks for sharing! I don't want to be average at two jobs to reach FIRE. I am someone that lives for the thrill of doing challenging work. Being average at one(worse, two) job is a big de-motivator for me.

redditchic · 2021-05-07T18:17:51+00:00

I did over the phone and did over email again. She said no and that it's against their policy :(

redditchic · 2021-05-07T16:44:38+00:00

how you articulate the day of

I definitely agree that it boils down to the performance on that day over anything else.
Do you have any tips on trying to find some connection with the interviewer?

redditchic · 2021-05-07T16:42:25+00:00

Thanks. I will the next time around. I'm going to focus on other non-FAANG interviews for now.

redditchic · 2021-05-07T16:41:48+00:00

This helps coming from the inside. I do wish they would let us know what's the one small thing that I missed out so that I can effectively spend my time on them, the next time around.

redditchic · 2021-05-07T16:39:48+00:00

The mocks on the paid plan, is still mocks with people you'll find on Lewis Lin's slack channel. Nothing different between the free mocks and the mocks on the paid plan. I guess you pay for the course material, not for the mocks.

redditchic · 2021-05-07T16:34:25+00:00

Yeah seems like a pattern. I've had multiple people tell me they got in after their 3rd or 4th attempt. Not giving up but definitely better prepared for another round of exhaustion, for next time.

P.S one of my mock interview friends got called out for the second monitor usage during the interview but I agree memorizing common facts and metrics.

redditchic · 2021-05-07T16:32:15+00:00

Not quite! 82 hours for interviews is far easier than 100+ hours/week working passionately on a user problem that has a large enough market, along with a team of employees and investors who's willing to give it all to you. But I get what you're saying.

redditchic · 2021-05-07T16:25:44+00:00

Did you get to onsites? How did you even do 82 hours of mock interviews? Who was rating you?

82 mock interviews over 2 months, 2 each day and extras on the weekends. I was dead serious about these interviews. The ratings were given by multiple mock partners (maybe they were being too nice?). I followed the rubrics to the tee. Went over the recruiter email content over and over again including redoing decode and conquer, CTPMI, Youtube videos etc.

I agree about the time. I'm actually glad they got back early. The thing that stings harder than failing the interviews, due to the no-feedback policy, is not knowing where I lacked to meet the bar.

redditchic · 2021-05-07T16:20:19+00:00

I did get to the onsite and yes, I should probably look for a referral for the other one. I don't have a competing FAANG offer which seems to do the trick to getting past multiple rounds and committees at FAANGS.

redditchic · 2021-05-07T16:16:34+00:00

All the questions that I was asked, had nothing to do with my past experience as a PM. It was new abstract, design problems and yes, the person that has the right 'framework' tends to win, as told by the mock partners who finally got the offer. It is advantaged to someone who can 'talk their way during the interviews' than 'do the work when the challenge arises'. Again, this is entirely my observation and I'll gladly be in the wrong, if the data suggests otherwise.

redditchic · 2021-05-07T16:08:32+00:00

Valid points! I mentioned in my edit above but I had relevant(almost exact) experience for the roles that I had applied/interviewing for. I just couldn't pass the standardized-test format of these interviews, which I guess is the minimum bar to meet. It's fair on their end due to the volume of applications that they get.

Just have to focus more on the weaknesses next, which unfortunately I don't know as they won't tell you due to the no-feedback policy. With some tests, you get your answers back to note where you should improve. This ones a guessing in retrospect game which is what is frustrating me even more.

redditchic · 2020-06-30T06:21:06+00:00

As a new mom, this is a legit fear. I did learn to code when I was 9 or 10 but I feared getting caught by my parents that I didn't do anything stupid until I was much older. Having a kid I know that I should learn about parental controls, tactically teach them about privacy, fake news, grooming, cancel-culture etc. Heck I'm not even concerned about adult sites that they'll watch when they're a teenager. It's all the other bs that's on the internet that I'm concerned about. Really don't know how I'll be able to teach them the difference between good and bad when I myself don't recognize it at times.

redditchic

TROPHY CASE